1982 Other DEAVER 2 SEAT HYDRO

$35,980

Request More Information

Request Information

Calculate Payment

Price

Down Payment

Interest Rate

Loan Term

Estimated Monthly Payment

This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.

The engine for my Deaver hydroplane is an all aluminum 540 inch big block Chevy with a World Merlin lite aluminum block, #082100, Holley aluminum heads #300-565, Lunati Pro Rods, JE pistons, Lunati billet blower crankshaft, polished Weiand 6-71 supercharger, Mallory Sprint Mag 2 (magneto, no 12 volt battery required for ignition), Enderle birdcatcher mechanical injection, etc., all the good stuff. It dyno’ed at 1200 HP, with over 1000 HP from 5750 RPM to over 7000 RPM. It has over 1000 foot pounds of torque from 5875 RPM through 6220 RPM. I have installed the engine in the hydro, but have not started it since the dyno run.

I had Keeter Performance Engineering here in Wichita Falls set it up for methanol, since since it makes hundreds more HP than gasoline. Methanol is much cheaper than race gas, MUCH safer engine operation, and with methanol it is relatively insensitive to altitude/atmospheric changes. You don’t have to keep fiddling with the tuneup to get it to run right and safely. It is almost impossible with a proper methanol engine to get into detonation that destroys so many high horsepower gasoline engines.

However, this engine made over 1000 HP on pump gas, and the pistons and injector parts for gasoline are included in the sale, should the buyer want to change it back to gasoline.

I spent a lot of money and time on this engine, thinking it would be my ultimate and final playboat engine. But the only place I like to play with my boats dried up years ago, with the worst drought ever recorded here, and it stayed dry for years. So for fun, I started road racing cars, and found out I really enjoy road racing. So much so that I just bought a new (to me) Pro Formula Mazda road racer. And that is one reason why I’m offering my Deaver hydroplane and my Hondo runnerbottom for sale. Another reason is that I have been selected for purchase of one of the new Ford GT's, and I am offering to sell my five remaining Ariel Atoms and my Ultima Can-Am, to raise money for that possible purchase.

Here is some history about this hydro and its owners:

I ran top fuel hydros for years and was blessed with a lot of race wins, yearly championships, and setting speed records in all the sanctioning organizations, ultimately running 229 MPH, which was in the Guinness book of World Records for 10 years as the world’s fastest propeller driven boat. (Even though we never ran it past the 1/4 mile to see what the top speed would be on a longer run). I had several serious crashes in the hydros, and after a particularly bad crash at Firebird in Phoenix (while winning the World Series Dragboat Championship again), Ercie and I decided we needed a safer way to get our gees. We got back into top fuel dragsters.

So after I had held the record for 10 years, Ron Braaksma was building and driving Deaver top fuel hydroplanes, and broke my 229 record. He paid me a personal visit while we were racing our top fuel dragster at Pomona, and gently and almost apologetically told me he had broken my record. I congratulated him and told him that is what records are for, to be broken when you are able. We became friends due to our mutual interests and respect for each other’s accomplishments. Ron and I both liked fast, good looking playboats/river boats, and he built what I consider the ultimate. He built one of his Deaver hydroplanes with two seats and with twin rudders, so it will actually turn. None of the hydros I had ever had before this one would ever turn, except gradually, and over too much distance. This one turns better than a flatbottom! Ron offered this beautiful hydro for sale, and I jumped on it.

So, the current owner is me, Eddie The Texan Hill, and so far I am the only person to have won the top fuel championship on land AND water, hold the speed records in all four sanctioning organizations, and the only person to hold the drag racing speed records on land and water simultaneously. I know, I know, that doesn’t make the boat worth more money, but if you do wind up owning it, that fact might be a conversation starter.

I am offering this 1 of 1 River Madness for $35,980.00.

It is housed in my race shop in Wichita Falls,Texas, NOT at my downtown EddieHill'sFunCycles.com dealership.

I will be glad to show it to a qualified and serious buyer, by appointment only.

Please Google "Eddie FourFather Hill" for info on me, and see youtube for videos, and flickr and Photobucket for more photos. Or contact me directly for questions, or if you have trouble finding the videos or photos.

Thanks for looking,

Eddie The Texan Hill
aka Eddie FourFather Hill (First in the Fours, or Father of the fours)

Here is a public answer to a question about taming the Deaver down enough for long runs, instead of the way I have it set up now, 1,200 HP, for acceleration for short runs.

I looked, and we ran 8 1/2 compression for gas and now 10 to 1 for methanol. I have the gas pistons and injector parts for gas, which will go with the boat. If you want to do a long run, you could put the gas pistons back in, and slow the blower down from the slightly over 1000 HP that we dyno'ed it on gas, to maybe 850 hp or so, and without running it wfo all the time, you'd probably be OK. It would not hurt my feelings to see it set up for long runs, and Ron Braaksma had it set up that way when he had it, for the river.

The only place I play with my boats is a little cove on the east side of Lake Arrowhead near here, and it looks a lot like the drag strips like Chowchilla, etc. by being small enough to not have rough water, but long enough to run 1/4 and still get stopped. And the gee is what I enjoy, not cruising. So 1,200 HP is perfect for my use. But no reason not to drop the power down for cruising, if that's your thing. The gee is why I am now so into the road racing- my Pro Formula Mazda pulled 2.15 gee cornering the first weekend out, and I'm hooked for life, and why I'm offering my other toys for sale.

Thanks for looking,

Eddie FourFather Hill

To help explain why I am currently so hooked on road racing, and selling my other toys, here is how my 300HP Atom with two seats and DOT tires, accelerates against a field of single-seat race cars.